A: Motivational time standards are
set by USA Swimming and designed to encourage age group swimmers to
step their swimming up to the next level. Time standards are also
sometimes used to group swimmers of similar ability for different
swim meets. Time standards guide swimmers from just starting
out in your age group to reaching your highest
potential.

All
swimmers start as Level “C” swimmers. As they
swim different events and achieve these motivational times in those
events, they become B swimmers and work their way up to AAAA
times. Motivational times are separated by age group and give
swimmers a goal to work towards individually with the aim of
improving their times.

A: Age Group motivational standards
are set on a four year, or “quad”, base. The current
Age Group standards started on 9/1/2013 and run through
8/31/2016.

To start, they take the last time of the top 16 (or top 10) for the
previous four years and compare it to the 16th fastest time in an
age group for the current year. If there is no different, the
motivational time standard remains the same.

Time standards for short course meters and long course meters are
based off of the time standards for short course yards. They use a
formula that multiplies the distance conversion by the short course
yards base time.

Q: Why are 8 & Under Motivational
Times "unofficial"?

A:
National Age Group times set by USA Swimming are recognized
as 10 & Under. For a swimmer to receive an official "B"
time, it must be met in the 10 & Under category regardless of
age. Gulf Swimming however recognizes the need for younger
swimmers to have their own goals to achieve so they have set their
own LSC Times Standards used only in the Gulf Swimming region.
You will not find these times on the USA swimming website,
but they can be used by local teams in the same way to motivate
their swimmers to swim to a higher level.